The National Football League (NFL) season is well underway, and people are reveling in the excitement it provides once again. There’s arguably no greater moment in a football game than a touchdown, especially one that wins a match or happens in the craziest of ways.
In this guide, we’re going to review five touchdowns that have lived long in the memory. But first, let’s take a look at how the NFL works.
About the NFL and betting
There are 32 teams in the NFL, split into two divisions known as the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference. The season is made up of different stages. The first 18 weeks are classified as the regular season. Teams battle to finish in the top seven during this period. If they do, they qualify for the playoffs.
The playoffs are a competition in their own right. A straight knockout format, a team must win their conference playoff championship. If they do, they qualify for the Super Bowl, which is the ultimate prize in the NFL. In that final, they’ll face off against the champion of the other conference.
There are a variety of different bets you can make on NFL games, from moneyline bets to props. It can be tough to call those games, however, but with the help of statistics and data, you may have a better understanding of things. You can get NFL touchdown scorers stats here, as well as plenty of other data to help with your NFL betting.
1. Michael Vick’s winning touchdown
One of the NFL’s most memorable touchdowns didn’t occur in a playoff or Super Bowl match. This one took place in a regular season game. It involved the quarterback Michael Vick of the Minnesota Vikings. In this game, Vick broke a 30-year record for the most rushing yards in a single match by a quarterback.
However, it’s not this achievement he’s remembered for. That moment came in overtime when Vick dazzled his opponents and danced through two tackles to break into the end zone and secure the winning touchdown to drive the fans crazy.
2. Ken Stabler’s last second throw
One of the most dramatic touchdowns and games in NFL history took place when the Miami Dolphins faced off against the Oakland Raiders for a place in the AFC championship game.
It was a close affair all throughout until, with just a few minutes left, Dolphins halfback Benny Malone managed to secure a touchdown to make it 26-21.
With a little over two minutes left on the clock, Raiders quarterback, Ken “The Snake” Stabler, led a charge down the field, pushing the Dolphins back 60 yards.
Coming out of a timeout, it all came down to this final play. Stabler took the ball but couldn’t see anyone open. The Dolphins’ defense closed in and tackled Stabler just as he released the ball. Clarence Davis, amid three Dolphins defenders, rose up and caught the pass to secure a touchdown and a 28-26 win.
3. The 1981 NFC Championship
The San Francisco 49ers faced off against the Dallas Cowboys in this tight affair for the 1981 NFC Championship. Dallas led going into the final minute, but the Niners had the ball, and it was in the hands of a young Joe Montana.
Montana took the ball and was instructed to do all he could to pick out Dwight Clark. It wasn’t easy, however. Two big Dallas defenders closed Montana down quickly, so he threw it high, arcing through the air. Clark leapt and arguably made the greatest catch of all time to give San Francisco the victory by one point.
4. Staubach and Pearson combine for the Cowboys
In the 1975 NFC Divisional playoff between the Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings, the Cowboys were down four points going into the final 30 seconds.
It all looked to be over until the Cowboys quarterback, Roger Staubach, sent a Hail Mary of a pass way downfield toward Drew Pearson. He somehow managed to catch the ball between his hand and hip and broke clear to secure the victory.
5. The polar playoff game
In the 1967 NFL Championship game, the field was covered with snow. It made for an interesting time between the Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers.
The Packers were down with just seconds left. Quarterback Bart Starr engineered a clever move in which he snuck through the defense and into the end zone to secure the win.
